1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to electronic image forming and, more particularly, to controlling user verification and authorization processes of an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Background Art
In network systems, the exchange of data among connected devices has become relatively simple, due to technological advances that continue to be increasingly efficient and affordable. Of course, among the transmitted data is information of a confidential nature, and such protected data is sent to and received by various types of electronic devices, including image forming devices such as office printers. Because image forming devices often have the capability of temporarily storing inputted information to be printed, including confidential data, it is necessary to prevent unauthorized users from gaining control of the devices to access the protected information. For example, the ability to input an instruction to an image forming device may be limited to prevent an information leak.
In present systems, security settings for network printing devices are controlled by a managing user, who possesses an administrative authority higher than other users. Specifically, users other than the manager are not authorized to adjust the settings or operations of image forming devices related to the access of stored data.
Japanese Publication No. 2003-226047 (JP '047), the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference, describes a network system including an image forming apparatus that is shared by multiple users. The image forming apparatus is provided with a confidential printing function that prevents unauthorized users from accessing confidential information to be printed. Specifically, JP '047 describes a feature in which confidential print data is protected even after a cancellation of a current print job is requested. In particular, if the cancellation of a print request for confidential print data is requested, the stored print data will only be deleted in the image forming apparatus if a password corresponding to the print requester is entered.
Further, Japanese Publication No. 2003-058343 (JP '343), the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference, describes an image forming device that receives and processes a request from a client device through a network. The image forming device manages the use of the device based on user identification information attached to print job requests, for example, by counting a quantity of use and a use time associated with the user identification information. In the system described in JP '343, even if a print job is sent via the network to the image forming device by a registered user, but without attached user identification information, a server of the network is capable of generating user identification information and of forwarding the print job to the image forming device with the user identification information.
Moreover, Japanese Publication No. 2001-0328328 (JP '328), the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference, describes a method for handling a paper jam in a printer. Specifically, in the event of a paper jam, the printer described in JP '328 allows a user to modify a sheet size and a paper discharging direction for a specific print job as a back-up proceeding. In this way, the stored print data, which may include confidential information, is not deleted when a paper jam occurs, but rather can be used to create a printed document of a size and discharge direction different from the originally-requested size and discharge direction.
However, each of the image forming apparatuses described in these publications operates pursuant to a security policy determined by a manager in situations concerning the confidentiality of data and the management of various kinds of information. The management of global settings for a particular device, such as a security policy, cannot be performed by a general, non-manager user, who has lower administrative privileges than the manager. Because these systems depend on a manager to control various basic settings and processing operations, many functions associated with image forming devices become complicated, as general users are not able to adjust such functions on their own.
For example, JP '047 describes a security method relating to the cancellation of a print job for a confidential document, and relating to user certification in a document unit. However, JP '047 does not provide for deletion or resetting of all processing, including printing execution, in a device. Furthermore, JP '343 describes executing a verification setting to attach to a print job that occurs when an image forming device accepts the print job. However, while verification processing is performed for every print job in the system described in JP '343, verification related to an operation of the image forming device or to management of the image forming device is not described. Furthermore, JP '328 describes the storing of confidential data in a device even when a paper jam occurs. However, in JP '328, managing a document output and save operations in an appropriate manner is not described. Also, JP '343 and JP '328 describe verification processes that are based on print job data. In these processes, it is necessary to request verification information from a user for each separate operation that the user requests.